![\"Anika](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Anika-Nilles-Drummer-Musician-RUSH-2025-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Anika Nilles \/ Publicity)<\/p>\n
Sun 5 April 2026 11:13, UK <\/p>\n
Rush<\/a> have revealed they initially had doubts about their new drummer, Anika Nilles, during their first rehearsals together.<\/p>\n In October, Rush confirmed they would be returning in 2026 for a reunion tour with Nilles as their new drummer, stepping into the boots previously filled by the late Neil Peart, who died in 2020.<\/p>\n Nilles has a strong pedigree, having previously played in The Jeff Beck Band, but Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee were unconvinced that the German musician was the right fit for a number of days when they started playing together.<\/p>\n In a new interview with Classic Rock<\/a>, Lifeson frankly admitted of his first impression, \u201cWe rehearsed for four days, and on the fourth day Ged and I sat down and we weren\u2019t sure.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t quite working with the three of us. We were thinking that maybe we should continue with someone else, just to see how that might feel.\u201d<\/p>\n However, on the fifth day of rehearsals, it suddenly clicked into place, with Lifeson recalling, \u201cShe took all our comments about feel, about Neil\u2019s feel and the way he played, and being very cognisant of the ability that he had, and bang! She nailed the songs all day.<\/a> It was a real \u2018Wow!\u2019 moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Geddy Lee agreed with Lifeson\u2019s analysis, sharing, \u201cThat was the real turning point. We were playing, and she was smiling, and we had this eye contact. For a long time I\u2019ve had that drummer\/bass player eye contact thing, and that\u2019s so important to me, and it was so much fun. And I thought, man, if she comes on this ride, it\u2019s going to be so good for us because she brings a whole different energy, it\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n Nilles revealed that a big thing for her was \u201cimmersing myself to some extent in Neil\u2019s way of thinking and his playing feel\u201d in order to \u201capproach it with respect and a lot of sensitivity\u201d.<\/p>\n She recently made her first live appearance with Rush<\/a> at the Juno Awards, marking the band\u2019s first show in 11 years.<\/p>\n Rush will begin the North American leg of their reunion tour in June. Due to phenomenal demand, it was extended multiple times, taking their total number of planned dates to more than 50 and keeping them on the road from June to December.<\/p>\n Next year, they will take their tour international,<\/a> with visits lined up to Argentina, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> The Far Out Music Newsletter<\/p>\n